Is it legal to force a tenant to pay a bill that was in a former roomate’s name after a brand new lease is signed?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Is it legal to force a tenant to pay a bill that was in a former roomate’s name after a brand new lease is signed?
Roommate moved out, he never paid the water bill which was in his name. I did pay him and have a few receipts. Now after signing a new lease the apartment is pinning this on me. My name was on a previous lease with him but not on the bill.
Asked on September 9, 2010 under Real Estate Law, Mississippi
Answers:
M.T.G., Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 14 years ago | Contributor
Someone needs to help you with the terms of the prior lease and to read what in fact you agreed to in there. I am assuming that the lease required that you pay for water as a separate charge and directly to the utility or was it to the landlord on an apportionment basis? It is unclear here. Did you have your own separate meter? In reality, if you had vacated and someone else had taken over the apartment as a rental and thus the water bill, the landlord could not have gone after them for your old charges. He would have had to go after your roommate for sure and possibly you again, depending on how the lease reads. You can go against your ex-roommate for his portion as well. But have someone help you with this one. Good luck.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.